Clamp.



P. D. MoAULIFPE.

GLAMP. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 7, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

1 v VENTOR A TYTORNEY.

PATRICK D. MGAULIFFE, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLAMP.

994,768. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7,

Patented June 13, 1911.

1910. Serial No. 570,854..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK D. Mc- AULIFFE, a citizen of Great Britain, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in clamp separated. Fig. 5 is a perspective v1ew of one of the washers. Fig. 6 shows a modification and Fig. 7 another modification of my device.

A, B, C, D and E represent plates of glass. These are usually beveled at their adjoin- Clamps, of which the following is a speciing edges as shown at 10 and 11, Fig. 3, so fication. as to make a tight joint. Holes 12 and 13 My invention relates to fastening devices are drilled through these plates such as D 6 for joining the edges of plates or sheets and and E near their beveled edges. more particularly for such devices for secur- My clamp consists of two leaves F and ing the edges of plate glass or other panes G which are pivoted together n as shown. of glass. While it is especially useful for They are cut away at 20 and 21 and while connecting plates of brittle material such as F carries integral therewith, a pivot pin 22, 7 glass, it may be used to advantage in con- G is swelled at 24 and the swelled portion nection with other materials. is pierced with a pivot pin hole 23 for pin In putting together show cases or show 22. Thereby F and G are pivoted together windows, it is desirable that the sash or and on account of the cut away portions 20 bead which was formerly used to join the and 21, they can be swung in an are 0 much 7 edges of the abutting glass plates should be more than degrees as shown in the right eliminated. In place thereof, it is now comhand clamp in Fig. 1. The dotted lines in men to use some form of clamp which is Fig. 2, show the leaves extended inastraight strong and at the same time inconspicuous. line. To keep the pivoted leaves F and G It is desirable that such clamps should be from separating and to permit them to be 8 .capable of joining two plates at any angle clamped in any position, I use a set screw and that when joined, the plates should be 25 which passes through the swelled porheld firmly together. Series of holes tion 2 1 of leaf G to hole 23 so as to bear through which clamp bolts can be passed against pin 22 when the parts are together. are usually drilled proximate each other in Thereby, the leaves F and G can be turned 8 each adjoining plate. It is very difficult to to an angle within 270 degrees or theredrill these holes so as to reglster exactly about and then looked in that position. Pin with the bolt. It is therefore desirable to 22 may be headed as shown at 56 in Fig. 6 make the bolt laterally adjustable. If this or it may be without a head as shown in is done however by means of a slot and fric- Fig. 1. Preferably on the inner faces of 9 tion screw, the enormous weight of the plate F and G, I form transverse teeth 26 and 27. glass will overcome the friction of the screw The other members of my clamp are the head and draw the members apart. A posislides K and L. Each of these has an open tive adjustable connection is therefore desirlongitudinal slot 30 or 31 and near its end able. It frequently happens that on achas a bolt hole 32. Each has on its face ad- 9 count of the weakness of the frame, a plate joining the teeth on leaves F and G, teeth of glass will drop or sag a certain extent 33 or 34. I prefer to have the teeth 26 and after being set and if there is no give to the 27 rake toward the pivot and teeth 33 and clamp, such dropping or sagging will crack 34 rake away therefrom in such a way that the glass. I aim to overcome this difficulty when once the teeth engage each other, there 1 also. will be no possibility of their giving or My invention is shown in the accompany sliding over each other longitudinally of ing drawings in which the leaves and slides. They can slide trans- Figure 1 is a perspective view of plates versely thereof however. of glass put together at different angles, Parts G and K are held together by a 1 those on the left being at an acute ang e, headed screw 35 and parts L and F by a and those on he right at a reversed headed screw 36 each of which passes acute angle. Fig. 2 is a top view of my through a slot 30 or 31 and into leaf-Gr or F clamp alone. Fig. 3 is a top view of the respectively. I prefer to make the shanks clamp in place joining plates at an obtuse of these screws 35 and 36 somewhat smaller 1 in diameter than the width of slots 30 and angle, parts being shown in section. Fig. 4:

31 through which they is a front view of the two members of my pass to allow a slight transverse play of the parts in case either or 36, the slidable members can be adjustplate of glass begins to sa ed or removed entirely without entirely rey reason of the play between clamping moving said screws. screws 35, 36 and open adjusting slots 30, 31, The main feature of my invention are the 5 there can be a slight transverse play bet-ween pivot set screw 25 which permits the devlce 70 the adjoining leaf and slidewhich is not to be accurately adjusted to the angle of prevented by the clamping teeth, but there the adjoining plates of glass; the slight is no chance of any longitudinal play or clearance between the slots in the slidable yielding as such play is prevented by the member and the clamping screws, together teeth. These teeth relieve the strain upon with the transverse teeth whereby the glass 75 clamping screws 35 and 36 almost entirely. plates are held rigidly together in a longi- Through each hole 32, I pass a connecting tudinal direction, and the frictional strain bolt M or N with preferably a round smooth on the clamping screws is eliminated, while head. The shanks of these bolts M or N the glass plates can give transversely of the are preferably smaller than holes 12 and 13 clamps to a sufficient extent to avoid break- 80 in the glass, the intervening space being ing the glass together with the right hand filled by rimmed lead washers 40 and 41. threads on one connecting bolt M and left These washers are pierced to fit the shank hand threads on the other connecting bolt 42 and 44 of bolts M or N and are of a size The open slot in the slidable members to fit comfortably in holes 12 or 13. They is also an advantage and the rimmed lead 85 are preferably rimmed to extend a short washers make an all metallic construction distance over the glass outside of the holes. which is practically indestructible and Nuts 43 screw upon shanks 42 and 44 and which will yield only in the direction where bear against members K and L respectively yielding is desirable. If teeth are not used and bind the parts in place. as shown in Fig. 7, the weight of the glass 90 As the washers 40 and 41 are inserted on both sides of holes 12 and 13 and as they project therefrom, they entirely prevent any direct contact between the metal of the clamp and the glass,-.thereby avoiding any danger of splintering. I prefer to make these washers of lead because it will not injure the glass, as steel or hard metal will, and lead is as tight as, and much more durable than rubber. These lead washers, when the nuts 43 are tightened, make a water tight joint which will never wear out or decay.

I prefer to make the threads of the shank 42 of bolt M which passes through the left hand slidable member right handed and of shank 44 of bolt N which passes through the right hand slidable member left handed. Thereby, in case either D or E drops away from the other, the tendency will be to 45 loosen this bolt rather than to tighten it. This will ease up rather than increase the tension, thereby avoiding splintering or cracking the glass.

- The construction shown in Fig. 6 is the same as just described, except that the teeth 50 on the adjoining faces of the pivoted members 51 and 52 and the slidable members 53 and 54 are cut on the arc of a circle. Thereby, if one plate sags, members 53 and 55 54 can more readily slide down as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6 as the teeth can more readily slide past each other. Fig. 7 shows pivoted members and 61 and slidable members 62 and 63 with plain faces. with another leaf having transverse teeth 60 This plain construction makes the sliding and a pivot pin hole, and a set screw 125 action just referred to still easier. The which passes through the last named leaf shank 42 has a right hand thread and the into the pivot pin hole, together with shank 44 a left hand thread. slidable members each of which has trans- I prefer to make the slots 30 and 31 open, verse teeth which register with the teeth on 65 so that by loosening the clamping screws 35 said leaves and each of which has an open 139 separate the parts. This construction is not objectionable on light show-case work, but is not satisfactory with heavy plates. 7

What I claim as my invention and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

1. In a clamp for plates of brittle material, the combination of a leaf member having a pivot pin, and another leaf mem- 1 ber having a hole for said pivot pin, with a set screw which passesthrough the last members to an adjoining plate.

2. In a clamp for connecting plates of brittle material, the combination of a leaf. which has transverse teeth and a pivot pin, with another leaf having transverse teeth and a pivot pin hole, and a set screw which bers each of which has transverse teeth which register with the teeth on said leaves and each of which has a longitudinal slot,

than the width of the slots and which pass through the slots into the leaves, together with means for attaching the slidable members to adjoining plates.

3. In a clamp for connecting plates of brittle materia, the combination of a leaf which has transverse teeth and a pivot pin,

longitudinal slot at its inner end, clamping screws whose shanks are smaller than the width of the slots and which pass through the slots into the leaves, together with means for attaching the slidable members to adjoining plates.

t. In a clamp for connect'ng plates of brittle material, the combination of a leaf which has transverse teeth and a pivot pin, with another leaf having transverse teeth and a pivot pin hole, and a set screw which passes through the last named leaf into the pivot pin hole, together with slidable members each of which has transverse teeth which register with the teeth on said leaves and each of which has a bolt hole near its outer end and an open longitudinal slot at its inner end, clamping screws whose shanks are smaller than the width of the slots which pass through the slots into the leaves, together with bolts which pass through the bolt holes, and two rimmed lead washers carried by each bolt, and nuts therefor as described.

5. In a clamp, the combination of a leaf which has a pivot pin, with another leaf which has a pivot pin hole, and a set screw which passes through the last named leaf into the pivot pin hole, together with a memher so attached to each leaf as to be capable of transverse movement a bolt hole near its outer passes through the bolt hole in the left hand member and having a right hand thread, a nut therefor, a bolt which passes through the bolt hole in the right hand member and having a left hand thread, and a nut therefor as described.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK D. MOAULIFFE.

Witnesses:

GARDNER W. PEARSON, LUDGER A. NIooL.

end, a bolt which Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

